27 



should 1)(' read <>n subjects dcaliiiu; willi nuiltcrs ol' iiup<iiian((' to llu' dcvi'lopnu'iit of 

 agriculturi' in Hawaii l)y iikmi thoroly coinpetent by c-xperience and training to 

 l)resent such information, and that such papers should be followed by discussions, the 

 discussions to form an important part of the program. 



The farmers' institute began with a membership of 15. At the present tinu> (1904) 

 there are 72 active members enrolled and 2 honorary members— the governor of the 

 Territory and the superintendent of public instruction. Six regular meetings of the 

 institute were held during the year— fovu- on the island of Oahu and two on the island 

 of Hawaii. On Hawaii a V)ranch organization was fornu-d which is to meet once a 

 month during the year. 



There are no salaries connected with the society. The money has l)een ])ro\ ided by 

 the officers of the institute with the aid of some of its members. 



The following extract from a letter addrest to the president of the farmers' insti- 

 tute by Sanford B. Dole, governor of Hawaii, under date of January 24, 1902, shows the 

 interest that the Territorial government has manifested in the organization of the insti- 

 tute work. The governor writes: 



It is with great pleasure that I have learned of your intention to organize a farmers' 

 institute upon a permanent basis. It is an enterprise which if pers<>\eringly conducted 

 can not fail to be of great benefit to the fanning interests of the Ti>rritory. * * * I 

 recognize the probability that general fanning here must develop slowly. Individuals 

 here and there will succeed because of intelligent and skillful cultivation of the soil and 

 a careful study of the markets. Farmers' institutes will pronujte such cultivation 

 and such study of the markets amongst the whole farming fraternity. 



During the year ended June 30, 1904, four institutes were held, consisting of eight 

 sessions, having an attendance of 200. All of the meetings were conducted by mem- 

 l)ers of the experiment station staff. A report of the proceedings was published and 

 1,000 copies distributed among the farmers of the Territory. The present director of 

 institutes is Jared G. Smith, special agent in charge of the agricultural experiment 

 station, Honolulu. 



IDAHO. 



Prior to 1898 very little had been done in conducting institutes in Idaho. A few 

 meetings were held under the supervision of Charles Fox, director of the experiment 

 station. The work was again taken up in the fall and winter of 1898, and several 

 institutes were organized in southern Idaho and a few in the northern part of the 

 State. These meetings, the first of which was at Moreland in December, 1898, were 

 well attended, considering the fact that they were the first institutes ever held in the 

 localities visited. Local committees were appointed in each of the towns where 

 meetings were held and work was fairly begun. From that date the work has been 

 kept up and has grown in interest until in many localities it is not easy to secure 

 rooms large enough to accommodate the people. The number of meetings held 

 yearly has increased from ten or fifteen the first year to more than thirty during the 

 present year. 



In 1900 the legislature made a biennial appropriation of $2,000 for institute work, 

 and this has been maintained at each of the biennial sessions since. An effort was 

 made to increase the amount at a recent session, but failed on the ground of economy 

 in State affairs. 



The director of the State experiment station is superintendent of institutes in the 

 State and conducts all correspondence regarding the meetings. The dates are arranged 

 by the superintendent and programs are made out in cooperation with a local com- 

 mittee, which is known as the institute committee of the locality. No county organi- 

 zations have been made, owing to the difficulty of communication and transportation. 

 The plan followed seems to work very satisfactorily and the interest is steadily increas- 

 ing. It is becoming a question of how to meet the demands for more meetings and 



